July is National Vehicle Theft Prevention Month and organizations like The Newtown Bee, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, AAA Northeast, and Newtown Police Department are reminding drivers to take preventative measures against vehicle theft — especially given these types of thefts heat up in the summer.

After four years of surging vehicle thefts, the number of stolen vehicles in the United States fell to pre-pandemic levels in 2024, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). There were 850,708 vehicles stolen nationwide last year, a 17% decrease from the historic peak of 1,020,729 thefts in 2023 — marking the largest annual decrease in stolen vehicles in the last 40 years.

Despite the decrease, approximately one vehicle is still stolen every 37 seconds in the US, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), costing vehicle owners billions of dollars each year.

In Connecticut, there were 8,725 reported motor vehicle thefts in 2024, according to Connecticut State Police. The latest FBI data shows that nearly 40% of vehicle thefts in Connecticut took place from May to August.

AAA Northeast recommends the following to prevent vehicle thefts: Roll up your windows and lock your car when parked; remove the keys and any valuables; store key fobs as far away from your car as possible and consider putting them in a metal container to prevent a signal boosting attack; park in well-lit areas and/or areas visible to you or protected by security cameras; and never leave your car running unattended.

If your car isn’t equipped with an anti-theft system, consider purchasing security devices for further protection, including: Vehicle immobilizers, steering wheel locks, brake pedal locks, theft deterrent decals, audible alarms, and GPS trackers.

Immediately reporting a stolen vehicle in the first 24 hours increases your chance of recovery by 34%, according to NICB. Once you’ve filed a police report, notify your insurance company about the theft. Have information ready including your vehicle’s make and model, license plate number and vehicle identification number (VIN).

In addition to actual vehicle thefts, car break-ins are also a perennial problem. Car break-ins are a crime of opportunity that offers thieves low-risk ways to steal items left in vehicles, which can include money, electronics, credit cards, or anything else of value that a car owner might think to leave in their vehicle either by forgetting it or for convenience.

However, especially if the vehicle is left unlocked, anything of value in a car can be easily taken by a passerby in just moments. Owners of Ring cameras can see many, many videos of pedestrians wandering onto properties and trying car doors to see if they are unlocked. If the vehicle is locked, they move on. If an unlocked vehicle is found, they perform a quick search for valuables and are gone, without exposing their faces or identities to the cameras.